Reel mower with adjustable support

ABSTRACT

A ground support for a mower which is adjustable so as to selectively vary the height of cut. The support includes a curved skid, the front end of which is hingedly connected to the mower frame for vertical swinging movement relative to the frame. The skid is held in selected positions by an upstanding, elongate, longitudinally adjustable rod, the lower end of which is pivotally connected with the skid, the upper end of which is detachably suspended from one of a series of detents attached to the frame.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Ralph W. Speber Mlnneapolk, Minn. [21Appl. No. 785,423 [22] Filed Oct. 17, 1968 Division of Ser. No. 390.704.Aug. 19. 1964, at: No, M10063 [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73] Assignee'l'oro Manufacturing Corporation Minneapolis, Minn.

[54] REEL MOWER WITH ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT 18 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. [52][1.8. CI. 56/249 [51] Int. CL A0ld 55/20 [50] Field of Search 56/7, 26,249, 294, 249.5, 250-254, 208, 210, 214 [56] Reterencs Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,646,658 7/1953 Dunham 56/249 2,779,145 1/1957 Smith56/25 Primary Examiner-Russell R. Kinsey Armrney- Vernon A. JohnsonABSTRACT: A ground support for a mower which is adjustable so ,as toselectively vary the height of cut. The support includes a curved skid,the front end of which is hingedly connected to the mower frame forvertical swinging movement relative to the frame. The skid is held inselected positions by an upstanding, elongate, longitudinally adjustablerod, the lower end of which is pivotally connected with the skid, theupper end of which is detachably suspended from one ofa series ofdetentsattached to the frame.

PATENTEBJUNBQIHII 3.589.116

INVENTOR. RALPH W SPEISER ATTORNEY REEL MOWER WITH ADJUSTABLE SUPPORTThis is a division of application Ser. No. 390,704, filed Aug. 19,1964now U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,063.

This invention relates to an improved multiple mowing unit tractionmowing machine, and more particularly, to a machine in which the mowingunits are grouped in overlapping relationship about a small and compacttraction vehicle, and in which the mowing elements ofeach unit areoperated from the power source on the traction vehicle and specificallyto novel adjustable skid mechanism for said mowing units.

Riding lawn mowers suitable for institutional, commercial, or park use,or for use on estates and the like where large expanses of grass are tobe cut, are commonly in widespread use, and a plurality oftractor-mounted reel mowers mounted in overlapping relation continues toprovide a better answer for such uses.

Thus, it is the principal object of my invention to provide a ridingvehicle and mower assembly, wherein several reel mowers are mounted inslightly overlapping relation to provide a wide'swath mowingconfiguration, and particularly to provide a novel, easy to operate.effective, adjustable skid mechanism for said reel mowers.

This and other objects of the invention will become apparent from acareful analysis of the specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my overall machine, viewed from the leftfront corner,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my combined bed-knife and bed-bararrangement, together with the full length skid and height ofcut-adjusting device, all of which form a part of each complete reelmower unit.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of one of my reel mower unitsviewed adjacent to the height of cut-adjusting apparatus,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of one of my reel mower units.

THE FRAME A generally T-shaped main frame includes tubular cross member101 and the base of the T consists of channel members 102 and 103secured together by bolts or other suitable means as shown. The forwardmost portion of member 102 is downwardly curved as is best illustratedin FIG. 1 and welded at its forward end to crossmember 101. The rearwardend of member 103 is supported by wheel 130 and the operators seat 140is mounted thereabove. The forward end of member 103 is provided with asuitable bushing or bearing (not shown) to receive upstanding shaft 151of the steering assembly. The steering wheel or handle 150 is mounted atthe upper end of shaft 151.

The forward portion of the vehicle is supported on wheels 120 and 121.

Three reel-mower assemblies 200, 201, and 202, which are substantiallysimilar to one another, are provided. Reel-mower assembly 200 ispositioned ahead of wheel 120, reel-mower assembly 201 is positionedahead of wheel 121, and reel 202 is positioned ahead of wheel 130. Thus,during operation, grass is always mowed ahead of each wheel of thevehicle andthis is effective to minimize the tracking" that occurs witha typical reel mower wherein one or more wheels precedes the cuttingreel. Furthermore, it will be noted that reel assemblies 200, 201, and202 are not independently supported by means of wheels at either end, asis common in modern reel mowers, and my mower structure is thereforeeffective to eliminate the tracking that is inherent in the use of suchindependently wheeled reel-mowers.

THE REEL-MOWERS The reels are constructed to include matching end plates203 at either end. The end plates are held in spaced parallel relationby intermediate frame members 204 which are securely attached betweenend plates 203 either by welding directly as shown, or by means ofsuitable mounting brackets, and by my combined bed-knife and bed-bar 205which is provided with integral mounting brackets 206 welded at eitherend. Suitable fastening devices such as screws or bolts are used tofasten members 203 and 206.

End plate 203 is provided with an opening 207, and a bearing plate ispivotally mounted to end plate 203 adjacent said opening by a bolt,which is sized so as to be somewhat smaller in diameter than thecorresponding hole in the bearing plate. A bearing is carried by saidbearing plate, and rotatably supports a reel shaft. The reel shaft and aportion of said bearing extend partially through the opening 207. Thisassembly is, of course, duplicated at each end of the overall reel-mowerassembly.

The overall reel consists of said shaft, a plurality of spirally shapedblades 221, and a plurality of spiders 222, as shown, all of which arewelded into an integral assembly and supported in the overall reel-mowerassembly by bearing plates 208 as described. The reel-shaft ispower-driven and the blades 221 rotate in close shearing fit withupstanding edge 21] of member 205.

Each of the reels is supported on the ground by means of a skid 212which extends approximately the full width of the mower and is shaped ina generally arcuate configuration as is most clearly seen in FIG. 3.Each reel is provided with a height of cut adjustment assembly includinga bracket 215 welded to intermediate frame member 204 at the approximatecenter thereof, and bracket 215 is provided with a series of holes 216,as shown. A lug 213 is welded to skid 212 in vertical relation withrespect to bracket 215, and an adjusting rod 214 is pivotally mounted tolug 213 as shown. The height of cut is adjusted as is most clearly seenin FIG. 3 by moving the upper end of rod 214 vertically with respect tobracket 215, and inserting the upper end of rod 214 through the desiredhole 216 and securing it with a cotter pin.

it should also be noted that the upper portion of rod 214 is preferablythreaded into the pivotal base portion thereof, and it is thereforeapparent that five micrometer-type height of cut adjustments may be madeby rotating the rod in the base and thereby adjust the length of rod214. As the height of cut adiustment is made, skid 212 pivots withrespect to member 205 about pins 217 which are securely welded at eitherend of skid 212, and which are rotatably secured to bed-bar 205 by meansof tabs 218 which are fastened to member 205 by means of capscrews. Theleading edge of skid 212 is spaced slightly away from bed-bar 205 exceptat its extremities where pins 217 are in contact therewith. As a result,any ground shock on skid 212, resulting in deflection thereof is nottransmitted directly to the relatively flexible central portion ofbed-bar 205, but rather to the extremities thereof and thence directlyinto the reel-mower frame. This configuration is also advantageous inthat it places the line of ground contact of the mower only veryslightly to the rear of the cutting edge, especially at low heights ofcut, as compared to a standard rollertype suspension, resulting in amore uniform cut over irregular ground. This feature is readilydiscernible in FIG. 3.

As will become apparent below, the hitch that is designed to attach thereel assemblies to the overall vehicle is effective to maintain the topedge of end plate members 203 in a substantially horizontal position forany height of cut and it is, therefore, apparent that adjustment of theheight of cut mechanism of each reel will cause bed-knife 211 to bemoved vertically with respect to the ground, thereby effectivelychanging the height of cut. Thus, it is apparent that l have shown aneffective height of cut mechanism on a reel assembly that is simple andinexpensive to manufacture, and that none of the structure comes incontact with the grass until after it has been cut. It should, also, benoted that the ends 212a of skid 212 are cut back at a rather sharpangle which is effective in the overall geometry of the vehicle toprevent the ends of the skids from plowing into the ground on turns.Thus, they are cut off diagonally inwardly at a rather sharp angle, asshown, along a line corresponding to the tangent of the are described bythe end of the mower during maximum turning of the vehicle.

A further feature of my machine, and one which is effective to placeapproximately 70 percent of the weight of the reel mower units and hitchassemblies on the wheels of the vehicle, is the simple, inexpensive andeffective mechanism that is used to suspend the mower units from thebasic wheeled frame. This suspension arrangement, with respect to thefront mowers, is best seen in FIG. 1, and consists of cantilever arms 80and 81, chains 82 and 83, and compression spring 84. Cantilever arm 80is pivotally attached to frame member 101 by means of a pin 85 or othersuitable means, and compression spring 84 is connected to the lowerextremity of arm 80 by means of bolt 86. Similarly, arm 81 is pivotallyattached to frame member 101 by means of pin 87, and the lower extremityof arm 81, is connected to the other end of compression spring 84 bymeans of bolt 88. Since spring 84 is located below pivot points 85 and87, the longitudinal forces exerted by spring 84 are effective to forcethe lower extremities of the two cantilever arms 80 and 81 apart,thereby raising the outer ends of arms 80 and 81. This lifting action isthence carried to the reel mower assemblies 200 and 201, by means ofchains 82 and 83, respectively, and by proper selection of the size ofspring 84, l have found it possible to effectively transferapproximately 70 per cent of the weight of the two reel units and hitchassembly onto the wheels of the vehicle, thereby minimizing the weightof the reels on the turf. This tends to prevent turf damage by thefull-length skid under the mower units, and also has the benefit ofproviding greater traction for the overall vehicle. It is, of course,essential to equalize the weight carried by chains 82 and 83, and toattach the chains on the intermediate frame number 204 of the reel-moweras semblies so as to maintain equal weight on either side of each chain,while maintaining a uniform pressure on the turf across the entirelength of each reel-mower skid. This requires that a greater amount ofweight be lifted at the inner end of each reel-mower than at the outerends thereof, principally because of the weight of the connecting hitchand chain drive. In this connection, I have found it desirable toprovide means (not shown) for adjusting spring 84 so as to regulate thetotal force exerted thereby. However, when these chains are properlypositioned both with respect to arms 80 and 81, and with respect to themower units 200 and 201, so as to equalize the affect of the weights andalso so as to minimize the affect of the torque that is exerted as thereels of these mowers are power-driven, and when spring 84 is properlyadjusted, l find that a very uniform ground pressure is achieved acrossthe width of each mower, resulting in a uniform and even cut duringoperation of the machine.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be thepreferred embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in-the-art that various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, aimedin the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall withinthe true spirit and scope of the invention.

What l claim is:

l. A mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame,

and ground-engaging supporting means for said frame,

said supporting means including a skid member attached to said frame andin sliding contact with the ground,

each end ofsaid skid, beginning at the forward edge thereof,

being cut off diagonally inwardly at an angle corresponding to a tangentof the arc described by the end of the mower during maximum turningthereof.

2. A mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame,

and a ground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid elongated transversely of the direction oftravel and attached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground,

and wherein said mower is of the reel type,

and wherein said cutting means includes a plurality of spiral knivesmounted on a rotatable shaft in close shearing fit with an assemblyincluding a stationary bed-knife and supporting bed-bar,

and wherein the end portion of the leading edge portion of said skid arepivotally attached to said assembly,

the remainder of said skid being in spaced relationship with saidassembly whereby ground pressure on said skid is transmitted to saidassembly only at the extreme outer end portion thereof.

3. A mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame,

a ground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid elongated transversely of the direction oftravel and attached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground,

means for adjusting said skid vertically relative to said frame toselectively vary the height of cut ofsaid mower,

said adjusting means including a bracket supported by said frame, saidbracket having a plurality of vertically spaced holes therein disposedabove said skid,

and an elongate generally vertical rod having a lower end connected tosaid skid,

the upper end of said rod being selectively insertable in said holes toselectively vary the height of cut,

said rod being longitudinally adjustable.

4. The mower of claim 3 wherein said rod consists of two partsthreadedly engaged in end-to-end relationship.

5. A reel mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame, including a reel rotating about ahorizontal axis and a bed-knife cooperating with said reel to cut grasstherebetween,

a ground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid elongated transversely of the direction oftravel and attached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground,

said skid spanning substantially the entire width of said reel andconstituting the sole ground support for said reel, means for adjustingsaid skid vertically relative to said frame to selectively vary theheight of cut of said mower,

said adjusting means being connected to the central portion of the skidas measured along the dimension of said skid disposed transversely ofthe direction of travel.

6. A reel mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame including a reel rotating about ahorizontal axis and a bed-knife cooperating with said reel to cut grasstherebetween,

a ground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid connected with said frame and in slidingcontact with the ground,

and means for adjusting the relationship between said skid and saidframe to selectively vary the height of cut of said mower.

7. A reel mower according to claim 6 wherein said adjusting meansincludes means for adjusting said skid vertically relative to said frameto selectively vary the height of cut of said mower.

8. The mower of claim 6 wherein said skid is pivotally connected withsaid frame for swinging movement about a horizontal axis transverse tothe direction of travel,

the height of cut of said mower being varied in response to saidswinging movement of said skid.

9. The mower of claim 6 wherein said adjusting means includes aplurality of vertically spaced first means disposed above said skid,

and second means connected with said skid and selectively engageablewith said first means for varying the height of cut.

10. The mower of claim 6 wherein said adjusting means includes meansextending between and rigidly connecting said frame and said skid,

said connecting means including an element vertical series of firstmeans,

said connecting means further including second means selectivelyengageable with said first means for holding said skid in differentpositions relative to said frame and thereby varying the height of cutof said mower.

11. A mower according to claim 6 including adjusting meansinterconnecting said frame and ground support for selectively varyingthe height of out,

said adjusting means including a plurality of vertically spaced firstmeans disposed above said support,

said adjusting means further including rod means pivotally connectedwith said ground support for selectively engaging said first means.

12. The mower of claim 11 wherein said rod means com prises twothreadedly engaged parts, whereby changing the threaded relationship ofsaid parts changes the position of said ground support relative to saidframe and thereby varies the height of cut.

13. The mower of claim 6 wherein the lead edge of said skid is pivotallyconnected with said frame for swinging movement about a horizontal axistransverse to the direction of travel,

the height of cut of said mower being varied in response to saidswinging movement of said skid,

said adjusting means being connected to the central portion of the skidas measured along the dimensions of said skid disposed transversely ofthe direction of travel,

said adjusting means constituting the sole means of adjusting said skidand the height of cut of said mower,

said adjusting means including a bracket supported by said frame,

said bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced holes thereindisposed above said skid,

said adjusting means further including rod means,

said rod means comprising two elongate pans, which are threadedlyengaged in end-to-end relationship whereby relative turning between saidparts changes the combined overall length of said two parts and variesthe height of cut,

one ofsaid parts being pivotally connected with said skid,

and one end portion of said other part being adapted for selectiveinsertion in said holes to support and maintain said skid in a selectedposition.

14. A mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame,

aground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid elongated transversely of the direction oftravel and attached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground,

means for adjusting said skid vertically relative to said frame toselectively vary the height of cut of said mower,

a frame portion disposed above said skid,

providing a said adjusting means extending between and connected withsaid frame portion and said skid.

said adjusting means including first, second, and third parts,

successively connected together,

one of said parts being connected with said skid,

one of said parts being connected with said frame portions,

and one of said parts interconnecting the aforementioned parts connectedwith said frame portion and skid respectively,

one of said parts having a plurality offirst means, one of said otherparts being selectively connectable with said first means to fix theposition of the skid and thereby the height of cut of said mower.

15. The mower of claim 14 wherein two of said parts are threadedlyconnected to each other to provide a second form of adjustment inaddition to that provided by the selective engagement of one of saidparts with said first means.

16. The mower of claim 14 wherein said support has leading and trailingend portions with respect to the direction of travel,

and wherein the leading end portion is pivotally connected with saidframe. 17. The mower of claim 14 wherein said first means comprise avertical series of openings,

and wherein said second means selectively engageable therewith are pinmeans insertable in said openings.

18, A mower comprising:

a frame,

cutting means supported by said frame,

a ground-engaging support for said frame,

said support including a skid connected with said frame for slidingcontact with the ground,

and means for adjusting the relationship between said skid and saidframe to selectively vary the height of cut of said mower,

said skid being pivotally connected with said frame for swingingmovement about a horizontal axis transverse to the direction of travel,

the height of cut of said mower being varied in response to saidswinging movement of said skid,

said support having leading and trailing end portions with respect tothe direction of travel,

the leading end portion being pivotally connected with said frame,

a first part connected to said frame above said skid and having avertical series of openings formed therein,

a second part pivotally connected with said skid,

and a third part having first and second end portions,

said first end portion being threadedly engaged with said second part,

the second end portion being selectively insertable in one of saidopenings in said first part.

1. A mower comprising: a frame, cutting means supported by said frame,and ground-engaging supporting means for said frame, said supportingmeans including a skid member attached to said frame and in slidingcontact with the ground, each end of said skid, beginning at the forwardedge thereof, being cut off diagonally inwardly at an anglecorresponding to a tangent of the arc described by the end of the mowerduring maximum turning thereof.
 2. A mower comprising: a frame, cuttingmeans supported by said frame, and a ground-engaging support for saidframe, said support including a skid elongated transversely of thedirection of travel and attached to said frame for sliding contact withthe ground, and wherein said mower is of the reel type, and wherein saidcutting means includes a plurality of spiral knives mounted on arotatable shaft in close shearing fit with an assembly including astationary bed-knife and supporting bed-bar, and wherein the end portionof the leading edge portion of said skid are pivotally attached to saidassembly, the remainder of said skid being in spaced relationship withsaid assembly whereby ground pressure on said skid is transmitted tosaid assembly only at the extreme outer end portion thereof.
 3. A mowercomprising: a frame, cutting means supported by said frame, aground-engaging support for said frame, said support including a skidelongated transversely of the direction of travel and attached to saidframe for sliding contact with the ground, means for adjusting said skidvertically relative to said frame to selectively vary the height of cutof said mower, said adjusting means including a bracket supported bysaid frame, said bracket having a plurality of vertically spaced holestherein disposed above said skid, and an elongate generally vertical rodhaving a lower end connected to said skid, the upper end of said rodbeing selectively insertable in said holes to selectively vary theheight of cut, said rod being longitudinally adjustable.
 4. The mower ofclaim 3 wherein said rod consists of two parts threadedly engaged inend-to-end relationship.
 5. A reel mower comprising: a frame, cuttingmeans supported by said frame, including a reel rotating about ahorizontal axis and a bed-knife cooperating with said reel to cut grasstherebetween, a ground-engaging support for said frame, said supportincluding a skid elongated transversely of the direction of travel andattached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground, said skidspanning substantially the entire width of said reel and constitutingthe sole ground support for said reel, means for adjusting said skidvertically relative to said frame to selectively vary the height of cutof said mower, said adjusting means being connected to the centralportion of the skid as measured along the dimension of said skiddisposed transversely of the direction of travel.
 6. A reel mowercomprising: a frame, cutting means supported by said frame including areel rotating about a horizontal axis and a bed-knife cooperating withsaid reel to cut grass Therebetween, a ground-engaging support for saidframe, said support including a skid connected with said frame and insliding contact with the ground, and means for adjusting therelationship between said skid and said frame to selectively vary theheight of cut of said mower.
 7. A reel mower according to claim 6wherein said adjusting means includes means for adjusting said skidvertically relative to said frame to selectively vary the height of cutof said mower.
 8. The mower of claim 6 wherein said skid is pivotallyconnected with said frame for swinging movement about a horizontal axistransverse to the direction of travel, the height of cut of said mowerbeing varied in response to said swinging movement of said skid.
 9. Themower of claim 6 wherein said adjusting means includes a plurality ofvertically spaced first means disposed above said skid, and second meansconnected with said skid and selectively engageable with said firstmeans for varying the height of cut.
 10. The mower of claim 6 whereinsaid adjusting means includes means extending between and rigidlyconnecting said frame and said skid, said connecting means including anelement providing a vertical series of first means, said connectingmeans further including second means selectively engageable with saidfirst means for holding said skid in different positions relative tosaid frame and thereby varying the height of cut of said mower.
 11. Amower according to claim 6 including adjusting means interconnectingsaid frame and ground support for selectively varying the height of cut,said adjusting means including a plurality of vertically spaced firstmeans disposed above said support, said adjusting means furtherincluding rod means pivotally connected with said ground support forselectively engaging said first means.
 12. The mower of claim 11 whereinsaid rod means comprises two threadedly engaged parts, whereby changingthe threaded relationship of said parts changes the position of saidground support relative to said frame and thereby varies the height ofcut.
 13. The mower of claim 6 wherein the lead edge of said skid ispivotally connected with said frame for swinging movement about ahorizontal axis transverse to the direction of travel, the height of cutof said mower being varied in response to said swinging movement of saidskid, said adjusting means being connected to the central portion of theskid as measured along the dimensions of said skid disposed transverselyof the direction of travel, said adjusting means constituting the solemeans of adjusting said skid and the height of cut of said mower, saidadjusting means including a bracket supported by said frame, saidbracket having a plurality of vertically spaced holes therein disposedabove said skid, said adjusting means further including rod means, saidrod means comprising two elongate parts, which are threadedly engaged inend-to-end relationship whereby relative turning between said partschanges the combined overall length of said two parts and varies theheight of cut, one of said parts being pivotally connected with saidskid, and one end portion of said other part being adapted for selectiveinsertion in said holes to support and maintain said skid in a selectedposition.
 14. A mower comprising: a frame, cutting means supported bysaid frame, a ground-engaging support for said frame, said supportincluding a skid elongated transversely of the direction of travel andattached to said frame for sliding contact with the ground, means foradjusting said skid vertically relative to said frame to selectivelyvary the height of cut of said mower, a frame portion disposed abovesaid skid, said adjusting means extending between and connected withsaid frame portion and said skid, said adjusting means including first,second, and third parts, successively connected together, onE of saidparts being connected with said skid, one of said parts being connectedwith said frame portions, and one of said parts interconnecting theaforementioned parts connected with said frame portion and skidrespectively, one of said parts having a plurality of first means, oneof said other parts being selectively connectable with said first meansto fix the position of the skid and thereby the height of cut of saidmower.
 15. The mower of claim 14 wherein two of said parts arethreadedly connected to each other to provide a second form ofadjustment in addition to that provided by the selective engagement ofone of said parts with said first means.
 16. The mower of claim 14wherein said support has leading and trailing end portions with respectto the direction of travel, and wherein the leading end portion ispivotally connected with said frame.
 17. The mower of claim 14 whereinsaid first means comprise a vertical series of openings, and whereinsaid second means selectively engageable therewith are pin meansinsertable in said openings.
 18. A mower comprising: a frame, cuttingmeans supported by said frame, a ground-engaging support for said frame,said support including a skid connected with said frame for slidingcontact with the ground, and means for adjusting the relationshipbetween said skid and said frame to selectively vary the height of cutof said mower, said skid being pivotally connected with said frame forswinging movement about a horizontal axis transverse to the direction oftravel, the height of cut of said mower being varied in response to saidswinging movement of said skid, said support having leading and trailingend portions with respect to the direction of travel, the leading endportion being pivotally connected with said frame, a first partconnected to said frame above said skid and having a vertical series ofopenings formed therein, a second part pivotally connected with saidskid, and a third part having first and second end portions, said firstend portion being threadedly engaged with said second part, the secondend portion being selectively insertable in one of said openings in saidfirst part.